Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

People who have experienced trauma are at a greater risk of physical and mental health problems including PTSD and alcohol and substance abuse. Women with trauma who seek treatment have difficulty benefiting from present programs. Alcohol and other substance used to cope with the symptoms of PTSD and both produce neurohormonal changes in the body. During a 4 month intersubjective ethnographic study in a treatment, it was documented that all women had a history of trauma including the staff, the trauma was documented and discussed during admission meeting but was not considered as part of the treatment plan. Many of the interventions that were part of the program triggered PTSD. Rebonding of the body, a trauma specific multimodality trauma specific program was introduced to a 24 day program to address the underlying trauma issues and provided skills to address triggers.

Biography

Deanna Mulvihill is a senior nurse therapist and a researcher who has developed a technique called Rebonding of the Body which helps people recover from trauma, learn self-help techniques and lead more productive lives. Her intersubjective ethnographic study has been published in a text called, Women, Trauma and Alcohol Dependency, Connection and Disconnections in Alcohol Treatment for Women. She has published a number of articles in child and family psychiatry including an extensive literature review called The Health Impact of Childhood Trauma. Presently, she has a small private practice and she works as a consultant for Cogenz and Thought Leadership and Innovation Foundation. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario with Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing in 2009. Her dissertation was Seeking and Obtaining Help for Alcohol Dependence by Women who have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and a History of Intimate Partner Violence.